Antigua and Barbuda (ag)
2007 reporting
Angitua and Barbuda1 (2007)
Budget: 834,000.00USD
The NBSAP has been integrated within the Physical Planning Act, the Draft Environmental Management
Bill and is a guide for the Ministry of finance in the program budgeting process.
The Government financed the development of a consultation strategy for NGOs and community groups.
This strategy is being taken into consideration in the drafting of the Environmental Management Bill.
Strategic goal 2.3 seeks to2:
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Review sectoral as well as national budgets for biodiversity conservation in the context of
proposed institutional changes required to implement the BSAP
-
Examine options for cross-budget schemes to promote the conservation and sustainable use of
biodiversity by other agencies
-
Maximize resources by bringing projects that have the same objectives together to coordinate
and synchronize their activities and objectives.
Strategic goal 3.1 seeks to:
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Through a process of consultation, develop a package of incentives to promote the conservation
and sustainable use of biodiversity
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Identify options for, and if appropriate, implement tax privileges policy for businesses
undertaking environmentally friendly methods of operation
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Develop and implement an annual competition for nationally recognized awards for
environmentally friendly management by business, service organizations etc, to be given wide
publicity
-
Review legal mechanisms by which financial responsibility for pollution and negative
environmental impacts rest with the polluter
-
Develop and implement mechanisms for the enforcement of disincentives, including capacity
building within the relevant agencies
1
Antigua and Barbuda (2007). Third National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity, Prepared by the
Environment Division, completed in September 2007, 148 pp.
2
Antigua and Barbuda (2001b). Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Antigua and Barbuda, Draft, Office of the
Prime Minister, Government of Antigua and Barbuda, April 2001, UNDP Project #ANT/97/1G/99, 50 pp.
-
Develop regulations to curb the importation of potentially invasive species that may pose a
danger to biodiversity
2010 reporting
The use of EIA in the physical planning and development process3;
The inclusion and rationalization of funds within the national budgetary process via a Public Sector
Investment Process (PSIP);
Integration of Biodiversity specific legislation into the draft national environmental management bill;
National Environmental Strategy
Protected areas program of work
Biosafety National Framework
NBSAP (2010 – 2020) (still be to initiated)
The inclusion of biodiversity issues into several policy initiatives is highly dependent on having trained
personnel in various departments to ensure the implementation of actions identified within the plans
and programs. The rate of acquiring new trained and experience personnel or the training of personnel
was too slow for sustain a meaningful rate of integration. This was made worse with the Government
voluntary separation package that resulted in those who were trained leaving for greener pastures.
Further to this the actions were not adequately followed up with the passage of new enabling legislation
and hence the sustainability of the integration process was not secured. In this regard a comprehensive
integration approach with accompanying capacity building and technical support in SIDS was developed
and submitted to the GEF for funding.
In 2003 the Government passed into law the Physical Planning Act, which for the first time required
Environment Impact Assessment for certain types of projects, and provides for the protection of
Biodiversity rich areas and for the development of management plans for the effective management of
the area. One key feature of this Act that is unique is that changes to boundaries or land use of a
particular protected area will require Parliamentary review rather than just Cabinet Decision or
publication in the national Gazette.
3
Antigua and Barbuda (2010). Fourth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity, prepared by: Dr.
Janil Gore Francis, March 2010, 151 pp.
The Agency responsible for the implementation of the Act is also severely understaffed and is in dire
need of modern equipment and trained personnel. These capacity constraints prevent the full
implementation of the extent of the Act and the protection that it can provide for Biodiversity. The
implementation of the EIA provision of the Act received a boost recently however when the tax
incentives provided to investors were linked to the provision of the EIA and the full implementation of
the recommendations within the report. Failure to do so may result in the suspension of incentives to
developers. To date this provision has not been tested.
Public Sector Budgetary Process:
In 2003 the Government revamped its budgetary process to make it more relevant to the work program
of agencies as well as to improve consistencies with an overall national developmental plan. Prior to
these changes the development of the Government’s sector recurrent and investment budget evolved
as an uncoordinated series of activities undertaken by different units within different ministries. There
was very little focused on an overall national development strategy. Further the programs and projects
being developed and implemented were not subjected to a review process to determine any potential
impacts on the environment. Since the government was conducting most of the infrastructure projects
in the island, this step was important mechanism to get the relevant agencies to conduct adequate
environment assessment of their projects.
The Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) process covers investment activities planned and
undertaken by and on behalf of public sector agencies. Coordination and monitoring of the PSIP is
important not only for logistical planning for the budgetary process but is also key to the optimization of
the use of limited resources in planning. An integrated and coordinated PSIP focuses on achieving
predetermined goals as set out by government policy decisions including targets such as those set by the
CBD.
The process is remarkable simple where each agency has to fill out a form and the projects and
programs have to meet several criteria, including Environmental integrity. This new criteria for programs
was formally adopted in 2006. Taking into consideration that Government programs and projects make
up over 50% of development and that prior to this Government agencies were not required to conduct
EIAs this was a big step in the integration of environmental and biodiversity concerns into government
projects.
To compliment this, a budget line was approved for EIA within the Environment Division and in 2010 this
budget line is almost fully funded with adequate resources to conduct EIA for Government projects and
programs. The full manual for the PSIP process can be found at
http://www.ab.gov.ag/gov_v3/pdf/treasury/PSIP_Manual.pdf.